Ireland and Leinster's Andrew Porter has expressed confidence in Andy Farrell's ability to coach the Lions in 2025, stating that it would not be a "bother to him" due to Farrell's remarkable coaching skills.
Farrell, at the age of 48, was recently announced as the Lions coach for the 2025 tour to Australia, having previously served as an assistant coach on two Lions tours—New Zealand in 2017 (a drawn series) and Australia in 2013 (a 2-1 series win).
Warren Gatland, the previous head coach for three consecutive tours, did not include Farrell in the coaching staff for the recent South Africa series. However, Farrell has now taken over Gatland's role.
The new British and Irish Lions Head Coach said this week, “It is a tremendous honour and a privilege to be named Head Coach of the British and Irish Lions. I know how special Lions Tours are having been involved in the 2013 and 2017 Tours, so I am delighted to get the chance to lead the team in 2025."
Farrell's new appointment follows a four-year extension of his contract with Ireland. Porter, a key player in the home Grand Slam win in 2023 and the victory in New Zealand, believes Farrell is well-suited for the Lions coaching role in 2025.
Andrew Porter during an Ireland rugby squad training session at Complexe de la Chambrerie in Tours, France. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)"He’s been in that set-up before, and he knows exactly the demands of a Lions tour," Porter said in an interview with RTÉ Sport.
"He’d be an incredible coach for something like that. He’s definitely shown the Irish people and the world what a calibre of coach he is and the type of person he is as well. It wouldn’t be a bother to him."
Reflecting on his own experiences, Porter mentioned that missing the 2021 tour still stings, serving as motivation for improvement. Despite the challenges, Porter remains focused on learning from the experience and using it as fuel to become a better player.
"It's pretty tough for me to forget what happened," the 27-year-old said. "It’s still quite fresh. It was tough in the aftermath. I suppose you can’t let it affect you too much. You can use it as motivation, but it only goes so far.
"It’s a different group, different environment, different teams. It was a breath of fresh air coming in here [to Leinster]. You are trying to forget what happened, but it is important to use what happened to learn from it."
Ireland's Six Nations squad is scheduled for next Wednesday.
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